In this episode we talk about Game Changers, the latest installment in the vegan propaganda film series. We discuss all sorts of issues with the film, from bad science, conjecture, and cherry-picked facts, to clever narrative tools meant to deceive and a completely one sided look at a subject. Topics include:
- We talk about all the conflicts of interest in the film. From a producer that's a vegan activist and owner of a vegan protein company, to the doctors, most of whom have built their careers around this ideology.
- We talk about the film's narrator and how all the footage of him "researching and recovering" are reenactments. He would also have you believe that ALL the research leads to veganism being the optimum diet for health and performance. This is beyond demonstrably false.
- Then we talk about the problem with modern documentaries. We have this idea that documentaries are this objective look at a subject where all facts, science, and evidence are considered and a conclusion is drawn or left to the viewer to conclude. That's not what documentaries are today. This film was a one-sided, agenda driven propaganda film that presented only what fit into its narrative and omitted the rest. When only one side has a voice it becomes easy to make it seem like all the evidence supports that side. It doesn't.
- Much of the science I debunked came from Chris Kresser's website and I'll put two links at the bottom of this page if you want to check it out.
- I move through the claims of the film one at a time and give you a bigger picture. This includes the gladiator diet, ultra-runner Scott Jurek, and Patrick Baboumian. Then I talk about Arnold's role in the film, which is to say that you don't need animal protein to be big and strong... and yet all of his athletic accomplishments happened while he was consuming epic amounts of animal protein every day. But the film is trying to get you to associate being big and strong with veganism. It's a narrative tool. The same goes for the William's sisters, who sometimes kinda maybe vegan when its convenient... which means they're not vegan.
- Speaking of narrative tools, the film then introduces Damien Mander, an anti-poaching crusader in Africa. What does he have to do with veganism? Nothing. But his story will get you to associate saving elephants and rhinos with veganism.
- This leads me to talk about how the vegan agenda has unfolded over the years. It started with ending the killing of animals. But we now know that the vegan diet is responsible for millions of animals deaths. So then the vegans went with the environmental argument. They said that meat is killing the planet and we need to stop eating meat to save ourselves. Well we know that livestock only accounts for 2% of the greenhouse gas emission and the real drivers are electricity and transportation. But the vegans aren't pushing to eliminate electricity or cars are they? And so now we are on our third iteration of why we all must go vegan: because it is "the optimum diet for health and performance."
- At this point I really start dismantling the claims of the film. I talk about what they say, but I also talk about what they fail to say, which is a LOT. I talk about the omission, the cherry-picked data, the correlations, and the outright lies.
- I talk about the claims of inflammation and cancer, the cloudy blood, the comparison of a peanut butter sandwich and 3oz of beef, the B12 claim, the hysterical claim that meat lobbies are the problem, and the even more hysterical claim that the brain can only run on glucose.
- Then I talk about the fact that our soil only has an estimated 60 years of harvests left.
- And then I close with some little tidbits you may find interesting. The main tidbit is that 84% of people ho go vegan quit within a year, many due to serious health complications. I also tell the story of Tim Scheiff, who was supposed to be in the film, but got edited out because he had to leave veganism after developing severe health complications. He tried very hard to stay vegan, but ultimately reintroduced animal products and his health recovered almost immediately. The vegan community viciously attacked him for putting his own health first. This is proof to me that veganism is not a diet, but an ideology. Within this framework of belief it is not acceptable to put your own health before the cause.
- And finally I talk about the things you're missing in a vegan diet. This includes B12, collagen, zinc, iron, and omega 3's, not to mention bioavailable protein.
- Ultimately I support anybodies right to eat how they want. I would even recommend the vegan diet over the standard American diet. But the propaganda has to end. Be a vegan if you want to, but stop trying to tell me that I'm a bad person because I'm not vegan. Stop telling people that meat is the cause of all our problems. Stop telling people that veganism is optimum diet for health and performance. Veganism is an ideology first and foremost. It is not concerned with the truth. It will try and convert you by any means necessary. Game Changers is simply one more example of this model.
- Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and leave a review and share it with someone who could benefit from this information. And be sure to follow me on Instagram @ThinkersApprentice
- Chris Kresser Link 1
- Chris Kresser Link 2
